Suhakam ‘appalled’ by Cabinet OK for citizenship amendments

 

Suhakam criticised the national registration department for its bureaucracy and unresponsive attitude towards citizenship applications. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The human rights commission Suhakam says it is appalled that Cabinet approval had been given to proposed constitutional amendments on citizenship despite its strong objections.

In a statement, Suhakam said it had repeatedly raised concerns about five proposed amendments, which it described as oppressive and regressive.

The proposed changes would aggravate the challenges faced by stateless people in Malaysia, and affect children born out of wedlock to Malaysian men, stateless children adopted by Malaysian parents, and foundlings.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that the proposed constitutional amendments would be tabled in Parliament this month.

Suhakam criticised the bureaucracy and unresponsive attitude of the national registration department, which it said represented a major hurdle towards citizenship applications for stateless children.

A proposed amendment requiring any person to register foundlings within one year “is regressive for the innocent child as it deprives them of citizenship due to parental or other third-party neglect”, Suhakam said.

It urged the government to seriously adopt a holistic and comprehensive approach in dealing with citizenship matters and have extensive consultations with all involved, including civil society organisations and experts in children’s rights and statelessness.

“It is crucial that each amendment be carefully considered for its unique implications to ensure that the fundamental rights of all individuals, particularly children, are upheld.”

Previously, the Malaysian Bar described the proposed amendments as “10 steps backwards”, as they would not improve the statelessness situation.

One of the more contentious proposed amendments would strip foundlings, such as abandoned children or orphans, of their right to citizenship, which previously drew criticism from rights NGOs and former minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

It would involve constitutional amendments to a provision granting Malaysian citizenship to every stateless person born in Malaysia by operation of law and another provision on granting citizenship to abandoned children.

Yesterday, Anwar said one of the amendments was to provide Malaysian citizenship for overseas-born children of Malaysian women. Under current law, only children of Malaysian men are entitled to citizenship. - FMT